Q I began with orchids little more than a year ago.  Last spring, I bloomed five of 40 plants, and I thought that not too bad for a beginner.  This year I have 60 plants (cattleyas, phalaenopsis, dendrobiums) growing outdoors in a screened-in patio measuring 5 x 12 feet facing southwest in Miami .  It receives good ventilation as well as light; after 2 pm , the patio is shaded by a tree.  I water weekly and fertilize once a month with Peters 20-20-20. I have several plants with wrinkled leaves.  They are Laeliocattleya. What causes this? Leaf color is dark green to light green and I do not see too much growth, just on a few of them.  Why? Am I in time to correct any mistakes and enjoy a rewarding blooming season?

A It sounds like you have a good location for light and Peters is one of the most widely used orchid fertilizers in the world.  In Florida , if you use 20-20-20 year round for cattleyas you should have no problems.  Cattleyas vary greatly in leaf structure from their parentage so do not worry about this. If the leaves on your plants are wrin­kling, this suggests the roots are not tak­ing up enough water even though the me­dium may be wet.  I suspect a breakdown of the potting mix; repot if the mix is old.  If not, try placing a light cover of sphagnum moss on the surface of the pot to increase humidity in the root zone. With cattleyas, you get flowers only on new growths but, as they flower year round, the growths should be at all stages of maturity.  If you are seeing the flower sheaths appear on the maturing growths then you will almost always get flowers in the correct season.  I think you have made no serious mistakes and you sound like you are on course to becoming a good grower.  —Andy Easton.